Eligibility for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination to prevent serious illness.
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What is RSV?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the common viruses that cause coughs and colds in winter.
Globally, RSV infects up to 90% of children within the first 2 years of life and frequently reinfects older children and adults. Babies under 1 and the elderly are at the greatest risk of being hospitalised.
Eligibility
From 1 September 2024, routine RSV vaccination will be offered year-round to the following groups:
- older adults, as they turn 75 years old
- pregnant women, 28 weeks gestation (with the aim of protecting their newborn babies)
A 12 month, one-off catch-up campaign for older adults will operate between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025 to target individuals aged between 75 and 79 years old. After which point, eligibility is retained until a person’s 80th birthday.
A catch-up programme will also operate for those pregnant women already past 28 weeks gestation, but who have not been discharged from maternity services. The offer of maternal vaccination will be available with each pregnancy to protect each infant against RSV.